Alice's Adventures in Storybrooke
by KartheyM
Summary: (For lack of a better title... suggestions welcome!) Beginning after Episode 8-Home (some spoilers) of "OUAT-Wonderland", this is the tale of how Cyrus, Alice, and Ana end up in Storybrooke while Genie!Will ends up in the Enchanted Forest. Now the reunited heroes must defend the town from Jafar and lift the genie curse, while Ana goes to the Forest to find Will. *REVIEWS PLEASE!*
1. Chapter 1

_"I wish," Will gasped, "to end Alice's suffering!"_

In that moment, the dark cloud sent out another flash of lightning. Cyrus saw the Rabbit-Hole suddenly expand underneath him, and suddenly he was falling... falling... with Alice clasped tightly in his arms.

The swirling blue light gave way to darkness, and Cyrus tumbled down a muddy embankment. Alice tumbled from his grasp, but when he finally stopped moving, he saw her lying only a few feet away. Anastasia lay in a heap just beyond her. Cyrus crawled slowly over to Alice. Wonder of wonders! She was breathing again! He grabbed her hand.

"Alice!" he cried.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "What happened?" she muttered weakly.

"You were dying," Cyrus muddled the explanation in his relief. "And Will made his wish; he wished to end your suffering, and it saved you."

Alice frowned, "But-that was my third wish. Why aren't you back in your bottle?"

Cyrus looked down at his wrists; the gold cuffs that had marked him as a genie for so long were gone. "Alice, when Will made his wish, it freed me so that we could be together forever!" He almost laughed as he turned to where Will very likely landed, near Anastasia. "Will, you're a genius-"

Will was nowhere to be found. The Rabbit-Hole had taken them to the middle of a large forest, but there were only the three of them. Had he ended up in a different area?

Anastasia had only just regained full consciousness. "Will!" she gasped, jumping to her feet. "Where's Will?"

"Wasn't he with you when he made his wish?" Alice asked.

The former queen, in her agitation, had regained the coarse country accent she had left behind so long ago. "'E w's 'ere, and then the lightnin' stroke, and then 'e w's gone! Where did 'e go? _Where's Will?_" She marched off into the forest, screaming his name. "Will! WILL!"

"Anastasia!" Cyrus called after her. "He probably landed on the top of the hill we tumbled down. Let's all _not _lose our heads, and climb up there to look for him."

The top of the bank was crowned with a hard, black substance none of them had ever seen before.

"It makes a path through the trees," Alice muttered, "and it feels like stone... but what are the lines for?" She pointed to the white and yellow marks running parallel along the path."

"I don't care, but I c'n see Will's not 'ere," grumbled Anastasia.

"Look at this!" cried Alice. Standing next to the stone road, on two metal posts was a flat green sign that read "Welcome to Storybrooke" in large white letters. "Storybrooke! The Rabbit dug a hole to Storybrooke!"

"How does that 'elp us?" Anastasia demanded.

"Girls, look out!" Cyrus suddenly pushed Alice and Anastasia across the yellow line dividing the road. They heard a terrible thundering sound, and two bright lights on the front of a large machine headed straight for them.

"What is it?" Alice screamed.

It was shaped almost like a carriage, but it had no horses pulling it, and not even any indication of how it could possibly move of its own volition.

The foremost window slid down, revealing a woman with short, dark hair sitting inside the "horseless carriage."

She eyed the trio. "Hello, I don't think we've met. My name's Regina. Are you lost?"

Anastasia was still scared stiff-this woman looked an awful lot like the Evil Queen who used to rule the land where she grew up. Cyrus was trying to figure out whether they could trust the woman or not; she seemed friendly enough, but his perception as a genie told him this woman had a lot of secrets.

Alice answered for them. "No we aren't lost," she said. "We were just on our way into town."

"Will Scarlet!" the words burst out of Anastasia's mouth and she couldn't help herself. "We came here with Will Scarlet, have you seen him?"

"Scarlet..." the woman suddenly paled. "One of _his_-" she suddenly stopped herself from recalling the old connection. What would these three strangers want with a former associate of Robin Hood? Regina shook her head; she would _not_ dredge up those painful memories, not again! "I don't know who you're talking about," she lied. "But you might try someone in town. And... stay off the roads. It can be dangerous if one of these cars hits you." The window closed as easily as it had opened, and Regina and her carriage followed the road back into town.

Cyrus didn't move or speak till the machine-Regina had called it a _car_-was out of sight.

"Alice," he said, "why did you tell her we knew where we going, when none of us has ever been to this world before? Who knows how long we will wander now, before we find this town called Storybrooke?"

Alice smiled demurely and pulled an object out of her pocket: two keys on a ring, from which dangled a red and white shoe. "Not all who wander are lost," she told Cyrus. "These keys belong to the house of someone called Granny. Will gave them to me back in Wonderland." As she spoke, Alice was getting more excited and she clasped Cyrus' hand like she never wanted to let go again. "Will's been to this place; he'd know it better than we do. If he landed on the road, it could be that he followed it into the town and is waiting somewhere for us!"

Cyrus smiled and kissed her again, while Anastasia rolled her eyes.

"Then, by all means," he said, "Let's follow this road to Granny's!"

* * *

"Ruby! Do you have those orders for Table 6?" Granny hollered into the kitchen.

Her tall, slim young granddaughter sauntered out into the dining area with a tray full of burgers, fries, and milkshakes.

"En route, Granny," she sighed, pursing her cherry-red lips.

Granny eyed her warily as she returned for the next batch of orders.

"What?" Ruby retorted, shaking her dark head.

"Just what are you doing back there, young lady?" Granny groused. "And no lies; you know I can smell a lie."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Granny, for the billionth time, I did _not _give your keys to some guy! Geez, will I ever live that down?"

"Not till I get my keys back, you won't! I didn't sink every penny I had into this business to leave it open for every vagrant who comes by!"

Ruby plunked two burgers on plates and scooped a heap of fries next to each. "You want to blame somebody, blame Leroy! He's the one who locked up all those months ago when the keys disappeared!"

"Hmph! And then cooked up some half-baked story about a stranger who waltzed into town and _must _have picked his pocket-yet no one's seen hide nor hair of any such a person!"

Ruby grinned. "Now see there? You think _I'm _lying, and yet you would sooner believe one of the Seven Dwarves than your own daughter?"

"That may be-but which one of you two is still working here?" Granny folded her arms as she chided her granddaughter. "That should be proof enough which one I trust more-unless the stranger had been tipped off by a certain flirty young waitress..."

The two women heard the entrance bell ring yet again.

Ruby sighed. "I'll get it." She kept talking as she walked out to the register. "The only reason you haven't fired me is because I'm family." She cleared her throat and greeted the guests. "Hello, welcome to Granny's Diner, what-"

The words died in her throat as _Granny's missing keys dangled in front of her face!_

"What are you doing with those?" she asked the blonde woman holding them.

"Ruby," Granny walked out behind her, "why are you just standing-oh my!" she stopped, too-not so much at the keys as the appearance of the trio standing in front of the register.

They looked to be fresh from the Enchanted Forest itself: the woman holding the keys was dressed in purple leather, sturdy boots, and had a sword strapped to her back. She held the hand of a man in a loose shirt and leather vest over leggings and boots worthy of Prince Charming. The woman standing behind them was dressed all in red leather.

"Granny, I presume?" said the first woman in a foreign accent. "I believe these are yours." She slid the keys across the counter.


	2. Chapter 2

"My name is Alice," said the woman, seating herself on a stool. The man and the other woman followed suit. Alice gestured to them. "These are my friends, Cyrus and Anastasia. We're from a place called Wonderland."

Granny raised an eyebrow at the familiar name.

"Have you heard of it?" asked the man called Cyrus.

Granny shook her head as Ruby placed plates of hamburgers in front of the new guests. "Not directly; I think there was one person who came from Wonderland-"

"Was his name Will Scarlet?" Anastasia asked quickly. She grabbed Granny's arm with desperate ferocity. "Have you seen Will?"

"He might also go by the Knave of Hearts," offered Alice. "He was with us before we came, but we haven't seen him since we arrived."

The door chime sounded. Ruby gave Belle and Emma a small wave as they exited.

Granny shook her head. "No, I don't know of any Knave or Will Scarlet-the man I'm talking about goes by the name Jefferson."

"Jefferson?" Anastasia brightened at the name. She gripped Alice's arm. "If anybody can get us back to Wonderland, he can! It's the Mad Hatter, Alice!"

"Hatter!" Alice cried. "So this is where he's been all these years!"

"Where can we find this Jefferson?" asked Cyrus.

Granny shrugged. "He's usually down at the Rabbit Hole these days. Poor man hasn't been the same since the Queen poisoned Henry."

"The Queen?" Anastasia gasped.

"Who's Henry?" Alice asked.

"Where is this Rabbit Hole you speak of?" Cyrus inquired.

Granny pointed toward the corner. "Just down the road a ways. You can't miss it."

Alice, Anastasia, and Cyrus stood. "Thank you for your help, Granny and-" Alice nodded toward the young woman next to her, who would very likely fit right in at the Red Queen's palace.

"Oh, Red Riding Hood," the woman supplied. "But most call me Ruby."

Alice blinked, "Like in the stories?"

Granny nodded. "That's why it's called Storybrooke, you know. We're all from the Enchanted Forest, and people of this world think our stories are the made-up ones."

"Curiouser and curiouser!" cried Alice, but Anastasia was already bustling her out the door.

"Yes, fascinating; now let's go save Will!"

* * *

Belle wandered into the library. Ashley (aka Cinderella) stood at the shelves in the front, browsing through some titles for one that would interest her.

"Looking for anything in particular?" Belle asked.

Ashley shook her head, "Well, I just finished a thriller that was so intense, I think I'd need something light and fun to take my mind off the gruesomeness!"

Belle smiled, "I know just the thing!" She pulled out some fantasy-adventure titles that had been her favorites. "There's more on this shelf here."

"Oooh, thanks!" Ashley bent down and scanned the titles.

Belle continued to the back corner of the library, where the familiar thump of a cane told her that Rumplestiltskin was in the back, shelving books.

He looked up when she came around the corner.

"I, er, thought Cin-I mean, Ashley would like some privacy while she was visiting," he defended.

Belle smiled and shook her head as she grabbed a couple books to help him.

"Storybrooke has changed since you brought magic back, Rumple," she told him. "Why, just today there were three new people who arrived."

"Outsiders?" Rumple dropped the books he was holding and stared at Belle in astonishment.

Belle bent down and picked them up for him. "No, not outsiders from _this _world. I think they said they came from Wonderland."

"Wonderland, eh? You didn't happen to catch any names, did you?"

Belle straightened two books on the shelf so that the one she held in her other hand could slip between them. "Some: Alice, Cyrus, and Anastasia."

She heard a choking gasp from the shelves in front of them; no doubt Ashley found just the book she was looking for. Belle glanced around the shelf and had the satisfaction of seeing the blonde leave the library with a book in her arms.

"They were looking for someone called Knave or Will Scarlet," Belle continued.

"Hmm," said Rumple. "I seem to recall a Will Scarlet from the Enchanted Forest-but the other names are not familiar. So you say they just arrived and came straight to Granny's?"

"Yes," said Belle. "Knowing Granny, she'll probably offer them a room and welcome them to stay."

"Of course," Rumple said, moving to another shelf to put a few books away. "Granny's is the only place to eat and stay for newcomers in this town."

"The only place worth staying, anyway," Belle agreed.

* * *

The trio made their way down the sidewalk, gawking at the large machines like the first one they'd seen, all making loud mechanical noises as they rolled down the wide roads. Every so often, the street bore bright red or green lights strung across it, and the machines would stop when the light was red, so that people could safely walk in front of them.

They found the Rabbit Hole, just as Granny had told them. Alice stepped inside and looked around.

"Now I'm _sure _the Hatter spent time in the Caterpillar's lair," she mused. "This place is exactly the same as Underland!"

Strangely-dressed people stared at them as they moved through the dark shadows and colored lights. Loud music blared as people drank liquors from various-styled cups. Smoke from various cigars and other means of inhalation lent a haze over the whole venue.

"Blagh, it's so dark in here," Anastasia groused, "how are we ever gonna find the Hatter?"

Alice pointed to a deep corner. A wide-brimmed, felt top-hat stood out over the crowd. "There he is."

They moved over to the table. Jefferson himself sat nursing a beer, his face a picture of total depravity. When he looked up, he nearly lost his seat in alarm.

"Geez-The _Queen?" _he burst out, staring askance at Anastasia.

She shook her head, "Not anymore, Hatter. Not unless we can stop Jafar."

"Jafar? Wha-" He glanced at the other faces. "Alice? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hatter, we came to Storybrooke by mistake. The White Rabbit was trying to help us escape Jafar's curse, and the hole he dug led us here."

"Yes, hello, nice to see you, it would be great to catch up on old times," Anastasia jabbed Alice in the ribs. "Now _tell him about Will!_"

Alice sighed and bit her lip. "Hatter, we need your help," she gestured to the iconic accessory adorning his head. "The Knave of Hearts was with us-it's because of him that Cyrus and I are together," Alice clasped Cyrus' hand and smiled at him. "But we're worried he didn't make it out of Wonderland. Granny said you'd be able to help us-"

"Wonderland!" Jefferson, wild-eyed, cackled in her face. "Why the hell would I want to go back there? You think there is anything there for me? Everything I've ever loved is here in Storybrooke..." his voice faded. "And even then, she doesn't know I exist."

"Please, Hatter," Cyrus begged, "just guide us to Wonderland, and perhaps we can help you reconnect with your true love."

"No!" Jefferson snapped. He snatched the hat off his head and threw it on the table. "I am done with traveling between worlds. I'm done with leaving, I'm done with making deals, I'm _done_! Find your own way!"

A commotion at the front of the tavern forestalled further conversation. Alice and Cyrus looked up to see people screaming and pointing. Together, they made their way to the door. A familiar dark cloud was gathering just outside the town.

"Tell me I'm not seeing this," whispered Alice.

"No, surely it can't be!" Cyrus added.

A black figure holding a tall, glowing staff and riding on a tasseled carpet emerged from the cloud.

"Jafar," Anastasia breathed.

"How could he have followed us?" Alice cried, "and why?"

The evil sorcerer was coasting over the town, spreading lightning and darkness in his wake.

"Where is the genie?" he roared over the noise. "I want the genie! Bring me Cyrus!"

Alice turned to Cyrus. "He doesn't know you're free."

Cyrus' face was grave. "I've been thinking about that, Alice. I may be free, but the bottle needs a genie."

Alice's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "Are you saying that Will- You think _that's _what happened to him?"

Cyrus turned to see how Anastasia was taking the news, but she was no longer with them.

Jefferson had just returned to drowning his sorrows further in the bottle, when suddenly it was snatched from his lips.

"Look, you!" Anastasia hissed in his face. "I don't care about a lot of things but _I bloody care about Will, _and I need to get to him before Jafar figures out he isn't here."

"Look, Your Majesty, I already told you-"

Anastasia snatched the hat. "You don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to. Just tell me how to use it."

Jefferson eyed her skeptically. "You need magic."

"I _have _magic."

He sighed, glancing hungrily at the bottle in her hand. "All right. Just place the hat on the ground, and it'll open the portal to the room between the worlds. There will be lots of doors to get you places, but you have to make sure you get the right one or it will be harder to go back out."

"Which door will get me to the Enchanted Forest?" She could almost hear Jafar's voice nearing the tavern.

"I thought you wanted to get to Wonderland-"

Anastasia glanced furtively over her shoulder. "Plans change; tell me which one!"

"Okay, um... it should be a blue door, I think."

"Ye _think?"_

"Okay, fine, I_ know!_ Get to the room, take the blue door. Now can I have my beer back?" he looked at her with red-rimmed eyes.

Anastasia stared at him contemptuously, and let the bottle drop to the floor.

"I'm comin', Will," She whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

With much storm and fanfare, Jafar zapped the doors of City Hall and blasted them open. They closed automatically behind him. He had arrived, and he wanted to make absolutely certain that everyone realized he knew what he was doing.

Nobody moved till the sky cleared, and then everyone went straight home. Alice and Cyrus made their way back to Granny's diner, noting the extra apartments attached to the eatery.

The staunch old woman was waiting for them when they arrived. The diner had withstood damage, but there were fallen branches all over the patio, and several chairs and the odd table had been damaged.  
Granny raised an eyebrow. "Where's your friend?" she asked.

Alice and Cyrus exchanged glances. "She might have gone off looking for the Knave," Alice answered. "We sort of lost her when Jafar arrived."

"Jafar?" Granny's voice tripped over the strange name. "Is that the name of the sorcerer who caused the storm?"

Alice nodded. "He's the one who chased us out of Wonderland."

"And what's his quarrel with you?"

Alice fidgeted and glanced at Cyrus. "Well, because Jafar wants to harness the power of three genies to give him the ability to change the laws of magic," she remembered what Anastasia had said. "And Cyrus... Was a genie."

"Was?" Granny glanced at him.

"Not anymore," Alice continued quickly. "Our friend Will made the wish that freed him before we were separated."

Granny considered this for a long minute before admitting, "This is making no sense to me."

Alice nodded patiently. "Would it help if I started from the beginning?"

"I should hope so," Granny replied.

* * *

In the grand white mansion on Main Street, Regina peered out the window toward the spire of City Hall. Whoever had just invaded Storybrooke from one of the worlds beyond, they had settled in that building.  
A knock sounded at the door. Regina answered it.

A dark-skinned man stood at her doorstep, with wavy shoulder-length hair, dressed in a dark suit. His left hand rested on the head of a short brass cane. He extended his right hand to her.

"Hello, madam; I was told I might find the chief magistrate at this residence; is he at home?"

Regina scowled. "That's me; I'm the mayor. My name is Regina Mills, who the hell are you?" She didn't even acknowledge his gesture. Something about this man was very off.

He dropped his hand, and confusion washed over his features. "Oh... Forgive me, _Mayor_ Mills." The way he said it, she wondered if it was the first time he'd ever used that term. He grew less comfortable with her; perhaps he had some connection with the magic person who had just arrived. "My name is Dr. Sheffield, of the local psychiatric hospital, and I'm looking for three of my patients who have recently escaped."

Regina's mind switched to the three strangers she'd come across on the fringes of town; she doubted they were mental patients-this man obviously didn't know that the "local psychiatric hospital" was hours away in Boston-but why the cover? She decided to stall for more information. "Oh? And who might they be?"

"Two women and a man; the man is the most important one, but he has an abiding connection with one of the women. Alice is her name, and he is called Cyrus. Have you seen either of them?"

Regina pursed her lips. "I might have-can you give me a description?"

"They will be wearing strange clothes and exhibiting odd behaviors. If you do encounter them at any time, you must take care not to believe anything they say. These three labor under a shared delusion that they come from another world called Wonderland, and they're on the run from an evil sorcerer named Jafar."

"Jafar, huh?" smiled Regina. "That wouldn't happen to be your real name, would it?"

The man did his best to appear shocked. "I beg your pardon?"

Regina sneered at him, "Well, I might not have seen anything of your three psychos, but you could check with the jerk who messed up my town and set up shop in City Hall. Have you tried asking him?" A slight wince confirmed her suspicions. "Listen, Jafar, you can cut the act with me. See, the people in this town-excluding a few-all come from a world of our own, called the Enchanted Forest, which I ruled as the Evil Queen. Oh yes, I know all about Wonderland; your Queen of Hearts was my own mother. So you can have your little search, but just stop destroying my town, all right?"

Jafar fought to maintain his composure. He could feel the waves of magical energy emanating from the woman; it was a power distinct from his own, but no less potent. He gave a curt nod. "Very well; do have the courtesy to inform me if you find them?"

"I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine," Regina conceded.

"Then we have an agreement," Jafar smiled. "Good day." He turned and walked down the steps.

Regina noticed that he only carried his cane with him, he didn't lean on it. She also noticed that the top was the head of a cobra with glowing red eyes. She closed her door and sighed.

* * *

"So you're saying that your friend Will is now a genie, in the Enchanted Forest, and that Jafar still thinks Cyrus is the genie?"  
"Yes," Alice sighed. She was so hungry after telling her entire lengthy story to Granny that she didn't even think twice about biting into the strange sandwich on the plate in front of her. Such flavors filled her mouth that she had never before tasted.  
"Mm!" she cried. "This is so delicious! What do you call it?"  
"It's a hamburger."

"So now that you've heard our story," said Cyrus, "What if yours? What kind of world is Storybrooke?"  
"Storybrooke isn't a world, it's this town. The world is called Earth, and we're in the United States of America, in a state called Maine."

"What?" Alice cried, "America? But I come from Earth; I was born in England."  
"So you said," Granny nodded, "but then again, they have cars there, too, and you said you'd never seen those before."  
"Well, where I lived they had horse-drawn carriages, not these mechanical ones."

"You're kidding me; no one's used horse-drawn carriages since the Victorian Era," said a voice behind them.

Granny tensed at the approach of Emma Swann. "Evening, Sheriff," she said.

Emma was studying the newcomers closely, squnting her eyes and pursing her lips.

She pointed to the man. "Your name wouldn't happen to be Cyrus, would it?"  
Cyrus gripped Alice's hand in alarm. "What difference would it make if it is?"

"That must mean you're Alice," Emma continued, pointing to the woman next to him. "And from the way you both were talking just now, I take it you're _the_ Alice everyone reads about who had amazing adventures in Wonderland?"

Alice drew back in fear. "How did you-what do you mean 'reads about' my adventures? Am I some sort of character from a book?"

Emma chuckled, "Hey, relax; everyone here is the same way-from the land where we get our fairy tales from, only there, they aren't just stories, they're history and current events." In the back of her mind, Emma was thinking of how much she sounded like Henry just then. Had it really only been a year since he said the same thing about the _Once Upon A Time_ stories, and she had just brushed him off as delusional? She sat down at the counter next to Cyrus and glanced at Granny. "Regina just called me; it seems that the latest attack was from somebody named Jafar, who came from Wonderland looking for an Alice and a Cyrus, and one other."

Alice was almost shaking. "Please," she begged, "please don't tell her about us. Oh, Cyrus! What if he goes after my father again? I don't have any more wishes to help him."

Emma watched the young woman. "Alice," she said, "if you are Alice, there's something you have to understand: this world is almost two hundred years in your future. Jafar can't use anything from your past to haunt you."

Alice stared at her. "_Two hund_-But that's impossible!"

Emma smiled wryly. "Story of my life; it's about as impossible as a rabbit digging a hole that opens a portal to another world."

Cyrus put his arm around Alice. "So what are you going to do with us, Sheriff?"

"Call me Emma," she said. "I don't trust Regina very much at all, so if she's trying to cooperate with Jafar, I say we keep you two safe and hidden for as long as possible."

"As far as I know, only a few people know they're here, and only half of them know their names," Granny observed. "They can stay in one of the rooms upstairs, and we can get them new clothes, maybe new hairstyles, and I doubt people would look twice."

Emma stood. "Sounds good; but just to be on the safe side, you'll want to stay in that room as much as possible."  
"Thank you, Granny," said Alice, "and you too, Emma."

"We'll keep you safe for as long as we can," Emma promised.

* * *

**(A telephone conversation)**

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Madam Mayor."

"What do you want, Gold?"

"I hear you had a visitor today. It wouldn't be the stranger who tore of half the town with a magic storm, would it?"

"So what if it is? I've had lots of visitors over my career, and you've never once called me about any of them."

"No one else has come to Storybrooke through a portal, dearie. Now what did he want?"

"He was asking about some other people who he thinks might also be in Storybrooke."

"Two women and a man, perhaps?"

"Are you saying you know these people?"

"I might know something _about _them."

"Such as?"

"Where one might find them."

"I know they were talking about returning to Wonderland, so I directed them to Jefferson."

"How very resourceful. Well, I happen to know that one of the women did-but the other two are still here."

"Cyrus and Alice, the two he is looking for."

"Exactly; now, did this guest happen to mention _why _he wanted them?"

"Only a half-baked excuse; he kept his true reasons to himself."

"I think you and I should find out more about this person before we give him any more information."

"All right; I can at least tell you his name."

"Can you now? You know how much I can do with a person's name."

"First tell me where I can find Cyrus and Alice."

"Very well: there is a very good chance that one might find them in one of Granny's rooms, if one were searching for them."

"And no one else knows about this but us?"

"Maybe a few others; they will be amassing friends to protect them, no doubt. But yes, the circle is limited, and I think as long as we keep it between us, there will be no chance of it going further than it needs to."

"Glad to know I can count on you to keep secrets."

"Oh, you know me, Your Majesty; I only keep secrets as long as there isn't a benefit to me sharing them when I need an advantage. Now... about our deal."

"True, I'd almost forgotten. His name is Jafar."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Goodbye, Gold."


	4. Chapter 4

Anastasia stepped over the threshold into the Enchanted Forest and paused to inhale the old familiar scent of wet earth and growing trees. She glanced around; some of it had changed in so many ways, and so much remained the same. It took a brief moment of looking around to get her bearings, but once she did, she was years younger, in a forgotten, more difficult time.

There were the old trees that marked the path into town. By that overgrown bush with the wild fern sprouting in the middle, she knew the path that led to the small cottage she once called home.  
Anastasia hesitated at the crossroads. She could head straight into town and leave behind her family completely, or she could visit her mother and see whether time did indeed heal all wounds.  
While her mind was still deciding, her feet stubbornly moved along the path that led to the cottage. Anastasia arrived at the end of the lane and gasped.

The little house had changed; no longer the compact log cabin built by her father with his own hands, the structure more closely resembled the simple, stately structure befitting the woman of less than ample means who demanded to be addressed as "Lady Tremaine."

Anastasia lifted the knocker. She struck the door at least a dozen times before at last it creaked open.

"What do you want?" a rough voice croaked.

Anastasia peered at the shriveled old woman with the proud face sneering down at her.

"Mum?" she guessed.

The eyes stared a little bit harder.

"It's me, Anastasia!"

"Oh," Lady Tremaine said in a flat voice. "So you've come back, have you? Didn't I tell you I would never allow it?"

"No, mum, you don't understand-"

"My daughter who disowned me is trying to come into my house like nothing ever happened between us; what is there to understand?" Lady Tremaine remained in her doorway, neither deigning to join her daughter outside, nor allowing the outcast into her domain.

"Mother, please!"

"Would you listen to that! All high and mighty, sounding like the queen you always refused to be. You think something like that is going to change my mind?"

"Mum, would ya lookit me? Just look!" Anastasia stepped back and spread her arms. "I'm here, ain't I?"

"And where's your precious outlaw?" her mother retorted. "I should have known that out of all my daughters, you would be the one who could not keep a man."

Bitterness welled up in Anastasia's chest. "What about Drizella?" she fired off. "No suitor ever suited 'er!"

"Oh, didn't you hear?" replied her mother crisply. "Your sister married a long time ago, and he's a rich merchant. I have her to thank for this house." She frowned at Anastasia. "Don't pretend you mean anything to me anymore, Ana. I'd even take Ella back if she came. Go visit Drizella in town, if you want a place to sit with no money to pay for it."

Tears welled in Anastasia's eyes, and a lump in her throat prevented her from speaking. Lady Tremaine slowly and firmly closed the door.

Anastasia wandered sadly back to the crossroads. She had little choice in the matter, but at the same time, she had not seen her sister since a few years before she met Will. Who knew if she harbored the same resentment against her-if she even remembered her.

* * *

Not far away, a young woman in plain, stained clothing was on her way into the city, herself. She made her way along the bank of the river, the soft dirt soothing her tired feet. Her dark hair hung in matted tangles around her head, but she did not own a brush; the best she could do was bind it tightly with leather thongs and scraps of ribbon she could find.  
A sharp metallic clang pulled her from her introspection. She looked down to see an ornate brass bottle floating along the bank, striking against the rocks at her feet. The young serving girl bent down and picked up the bottle. It was beautiful, if a bit worn and ancient-looking. She hefted it apprisingly. It wasn't too heavy. If it did not have anything in it already, she could think of a few uses for a jar like that.

The handmaiden removed the stopper, but before she could peek inside, a cloud of red smoke erupted from its opening. Suddenly, she realized she was no longer alone beside the river. She stared at the man who had suddenly appeared: he dressed strangely, wearing a black leather jacket over a grey shirt, with pants and shoes of strange material. But something about the face-

He noticed her. "Jazz? That you, Jasmine?"

Jasmine gasped. "Willie?" how many years had it been-and here he was, standing before her. Without thinking, she threw her arms around him to assure herself that he was real.

"Good to see ya, Jazzy," Will said, hugging her back.

Pulling away, Jasmine glanced into the bottle she still held. "H-how... What were you doing in there?" For the first time, she noticed the strange gold cuffs that her childhood friend now wore.

Will saw her gaze and self-consciously moved his hands behind his back. "Erm, it involves magic, and even if I understood it-which I don't-I couldn't explain it to ya." He turned and focused on finding a way up the steep bank to the road above, where he could reach the town. "Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to find Cyrus and Alice-"

"Who?" Jasmine hitched up her skirts and tried to follow Will, who was striding away on long legs. Jasmine stumbled over a burl and Will climbed out of sight.  
"Will, _wait_!"

Suddenly, he came tumbling back down the bank as if hauled by a string, landing right at her feet.

"Bloody hell!" cried Will.

Jasmine looked from the cuffs around Will's wrists to the bottle in her hand.  
"What was that?" she asked carefully.

Will scrambled to his feet. "That's what I'd like to-Hang on," he placed his hand into his pocket and drew out three shining stones. He offered them to Jasmine. "I think these are yours, Jazz."

"What are they?" she asked, watching them glisten on her palm.

"They're wishes," said Will. Abruptly, a strange look came over him, and he intoned, "Mistress mine, my will is thine, tell me your wishes three-_Bollux_!" The moment passed, and Will was himself again. He looked pained, as if he had been compelled to say those words against his own volition. There was nothing else for it. "I think I'm a genie, Jazz."

Suddenly the bottle and the three wishes made a lot more sense.  
"If you're a genie," said Jasmine, a slow smile of realization unfolding across her face, "that means I'm your master!"


	5. Chapter 5

Jasmine watched her old friend as they made their way down the road toward Lady Drizella's house. It seemed like another lifetime where she and "Wee Willie" ran through the forest roads and the streets of the city, swiping edibles in the marketplace and picking pockets for coin. Then Anastasia began showing up in the marketplace, and Will took a shine to her, which she returned-and Jazz fell behind and alone.  
Will waited to help her make the last ledge onto the road.

"So," she said when she released his hand, "did you really go to Wonderland? People said you and Anastasia had crossed worlds. Is that where you've been all this time?"

Will winced at the mention of the woman who made him want to give up his heart. "Yeh, we went to Wonderland."

Jasmine was a bit puzzled at his reticence. "And? What did you do there?"

Will shrugged, "Oh, this and that, bit o' thievin', scrounging mostly."

Jasmine shook her head, "What about Anastasia? Where is she?"

Will stopped and turned to his friend. "Look, Jazz, let's just get one thing straight: Anastasia and I are done. She broke my heart, she left, she lied, I don't know where she is, and I bloody don't care!"

Jasmine stopped and lowered her gaze. "Oh," she said.

Immediately, Will saw how much his outburst hurt her. "What about you, Jazz? Did you ever find anybody? I would have expected to find you with some bloke's arms about you, not all alone like this."

Jasmine's dusky cheeks reddened. "Well, there was a boy..." she answered slowly.

"See? That's more like it! What's 'is name, who is 'e?"

A smile crept back onto Jasmine's face as she spoke. "I met him while scouting out the marketplace. He was stealing apples from a cart. His name's Allan, of Dale."

Will put an arm around Jasmine's shoulders. "Good ol' Jazz, that's the spirit! So, when do I get to meet this Allan?"

Jazz nudged him, "I would have thought you met already; he ran with Robin Hood's Merry Men for a while."

Will winced again and his face flushed as he remembered the whole reason he'd joined the Merry Men-infiltrated, more like. "Eh, no... Must'a been after my time."

Jazz nodded, "True; anyway, I got a job working as a handmaiden for Lady Drizella Cavendish, so now I make honest money... when I make money, that is. That's where we're headed."

"And does this Allan-a-Dale work there too?"

Jasmine bit her lip, "No; I haven't seen him for a long time. I wish-"

"Whoa!" Will suddenly whirled around and placed a hand over her mouth. "Jazz, are you daft? You've gotta be careful about making wishes, now that you have a genie to command!"

Jasmine blinked at him, wide-eyed. "Oh, Willie, I'm so sorry! I got so carried away, chatting about old times that I completely forgot!"

Will shrugged, "Well, no harm done yet. And I should tell you that there are rules for genie magic, things you can't wish for."

Jasmine tipped an eyebrow, "Like what?"

"Like..." Will's mind worked frantically, but his memory came up empty. "Somethin' about... er, Oh, cor! I'm tryin' bloody hard to remember! Uh, somethin'-oh yeah! I can't make a fella fall in love with ya, and, uh... Somethin' about the dead and the past or what have you. There were three, I know."

Jasmine smiled and started playing with a frayed seam on her skirt. "Not that I'm really wishing or anything, but what if I was to wish Allan back here with me again?"

"'ang on," Will looked down at the girl, "you mean 'e's gone?"

Jasmine nodded. "It was a long time ago; Lady Drizella saw him talking with me once, and she didn't like his looks, so she had him drafted onto a ship looking for a new cabin boy, and I haven't seen him since." She looked up at Will, her eyes pleading. "I would give anything to see him again!"

"Now see here, Jasmine," Will said uncomfortably, "magic has a cost, you know, and a wish like that might be dangerous for the both o' ya! Besides," he went on in a more tender tone, "if he's-y'know," he couldn't bring himself to say it, "there's nothin' I could do about it, and you've lost a wish."

Jasmine chewed her lip, lost in thought. "What if you helped me?"

Will frowned. "Helped you what?"

"I don't know," said Jasmine, throwing her hands in the air, "find him!"

Will stared at her. "Find Allan, who sailed away years ago to who-knows-where, and we don't even know if he's alive!"

Jasmine grabbed his hand and looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Willie, please! That's all I ever wanted; help me find him..." she suddenly grinned, "And all my wishes are yours."

"Are you sure?" Will spluttered.

Jasmine nodded. "Absolutely; I don't want any of them if they can't bring me and Allan together."

Will heaved a long sigh. "All right then, I'll help you."

Jasmine gave a little skip of happiness as they approached the grounds of Cavendish Manor. "Wonderful! We can leave tonight after Lady Drizella is asleep." She rounded the corner toward the front entrance.

Will came around the corner after Jasmine. He blinked once and then flung himself back around the corner.  
"_BLOODY_-" he gasped. "I thought you said the lady's name was Cavendish! What the hell is _she_ doin' 'ere?"

"Who?" Jasmine glanced up at the carriage that had just pulled up. Lady Drizella appeared on the portico to greet her guest. "Milady's sister?"

"SISTER?" Will exploded. "All this time you meant _that Drizella_?"  
They watched as none other than Anastasia alighted and embraced Lady Drizella, proclaiming that fact herself. "Jazz," Will whispered, "I think we might as well leave as soon as possible. That," he pointed to the blond woman following Drizella into the house, "is Anastasia."

"No!" Jasmine gasped, "_Your_ Anastasia? I had no idea."

"What's between us is over; she's not mine anymore." Will's face remained strangely calm; if he still had his heart, there was no telling how much it would be aching at that moment.

Jasmine put a hand on his shoulder. "All right; we'll leave right away. You just stay right here and hidden; I have to grab a few things."

"All right," Will answered, "Hurry!"

* * *

"What a surprise to see you, dear sister!" Drizella gushed as they entered the parlor of the grand, empty mansion. A footman brought a tray of tea and sandwiches. "I thought you had gone off and married the man of your dreams and I would never hear from you again!" she tittered gracefully. "And here you are! So, Annie, dear, tell me all about your amazing adventures!"

Anastasia smiled back at her sister; how refreshing to be in a place where no one harbored resentment toward her. "There's not much to tell, Driz; I went to Wonderland, you know-"

"Wonderland!" Drizella gushed, "Ooh, that sounds lovely! Is it a new carnival that I haven't heard yet about?"

Anastasia pressed her lips to keep her rising frustration in check. "No, it's a whole new world-"  
"Fancy!" Drizella's token word for anything she found interesting, however briefly. "And what did you do there?"

"Well..." The memories flashed through Anastasia's mind: _attended a ball, met the king, became queen, learned magic, met Jafar, hunted a genie, learned the folly of her ways, was torn away from the man she always wanted_-  
"I went there with Will, you know."

Drizella still gave that vapid smile. "That's lovely; who is he, darling?"

Anastasia felt a lump in her throat; would they ever see each other again?  
"He's-"

The sound of a creaking door interrupted them. Anastasia turned to see a young serving girl in dirty clothes doing her best to creep discreetly down the hall. But it was the thing she carried that grabbed Anastasia's attention: a tall, narrow bottle with ornate decorations.  
"a genie," she whispered, as she realized that she was closer to Will than she ever thought possible.

"What was that, darling?" Drizella asked absently.

Anastasia recovered her composure just in time. "Nothing!" she replied. "Will was just someone I met. We parted ways, oh, such a long time ago!" She glanced back over her shoulder once more to see if she could predict which way the serving girl went.

"What's got you so interested in my servants?" Drizella sat up and peered at her sister with a sudden glint in her eye.

"Nothing," Anastasia answered quickly; perhaps her eldest sister was not so vacuous as she so often appeared. "So what about you, Drizella? Mother said you married a fine nobleman, and now you have this fine house, and the servants."

"Yes, poor man; died of a hunting accident so soon after we wed. Of course, then it came out _where_ he got the money, you know, and all sorts of people made such a fuss about it, I was practically beside myself!"

"What do you mean, where he got the money?"

Drizella began to fidget. "Well, my dear, apparently he wasn't any kind of noble at all; people just called him the Baron. He was a collector of some sort."

Anastasia was having trouble following her sister's logic. "What did he collect?"

"Money, mostly; he started collecting jewels and heirlooms from people, too, and that's when they nabbed him. It's been just little old me all alone ever since." Drizella paused to take a dainty sip of her tea, still keeping her eyes fixed on her sister. "It doesn't have anything to do with that bottle she was carrying, does it?"

Anastasia was shocked at the suddenness of the question. "What?"

Drizella smiled coldly. "Footman!" she called.

A young boy with shocking-red hair entered and bowed to his mistress.

"Go to Jasmine's quarters and bring me the bottle you find there," Drizella ordered.

The footman bowed again and withdrew to fulfill her command.

Not even Drizella missed the pain in Anastasia's face. "While we're waiting, why don't you tell me more about this bottle you seem so interested in?"

"It's nothing, really," Anastasia attempted to keep her tone light. "It just reminded me of something I saw in Wonderland."

The footman returned bearing the bottle. It took all her willpower not to leap up and grab it right there. So close! Will had to be just inside! Anastasia's skin crawled as Drizella took the bottle and caressed it in her hands.

"Careful, Driz!" she said, as she saw the hands skim the magic-laden surface of the bottle. There was no hope for it now. "There's a genie in there!"

Drizella's eyes lit up greedily. "A genie?" She wasted no time in pulling the stopper-

But no cloud burst forth... and more importantly, no Will.

Drizella frowned and held the bottle upside down, shaking it as if the genie she wanted was nothing more than a glob of molasses sticking to the bottom of the jar. She glared accusingly at Anastasia.

"Where is it?" she demanded hotly. "Where is _my _genie?"

Anastasia allowed herself a tiny smile of relief; Drizella hadn't gotten Will-but neither had she! "I think it's been opened already. He's not in the bottle anymore."

Drizella actually came out of her chair, drawing herself up to her full regal height, eyes burning. "_Then where is he?"_

Anastasia smiled at her sister's outrage. "You'll have to ask your servant girl!" she flung back, knowing good and well that if Will had any say in the matter, they would be long gone.

"_JASMINE!" _Drizella shrieked.

No Jasmine appeared. A guard entered the room and bowed. "Milady, Jasmine is gone!"

"Find her!" Drizella screeched. "I want my genie!"

Anastasia felt that this would be a good time to take her leave, but Drizella snatched her hand. "Oh no, dear sister," she snarled viciously, "you're coming with me. We'll look for them together." She smiled when she saw the fear in her younger sister's eyes. "On the way, why don't you tell me absolutely everything you know about this genie?"


	6. Chapter 6

Emma waited for Henry outside his school with spinning thoughts. She had just spent the morning with Cyrus and Alice, getting their full story.

Alice had been in Victorian England which she left to go to Wonderland, where she met a genie from Agrabah and became enemies with Jafar, and Will Scarlet of the Enchanted Forest (and briefly, Robin Hood's Merry Men) started out trying to kill her because the Queen of Hearts-also known as Cora, Regina's mother-had removed his heart and was manipulating it, but she retrieved it and he had brought it back to Storybrooke, intending never to return to Wonderland or the Forest. Now, since the White Rabbit coaxed him back just last week, he had become a genie and done just that: returned to the places he never wanted to be again.

"If we could just find where in Storybrooke he hid his heart," Alice sighed, "that might help us find him!"

Emma shook her head. She had not even known this Will Scarlet had been in Storybrooke, much less what he looked like. How would she know where he was staying? Jefferson might be able to help her; as Storybrooke's resident authority on Wonderland, if any other resident decided to cross over from Wonderland, he would no doubt know.

Henry bounced down the steps of Storybrooke Elementary and into the car.  
"So," he said brightly, "have you met the Wonderlanders yet?"

Emma glanced sharply at her son; she had said nothing about the events of the day before, so how could he know about them?  
"Where did you hear anyone from Wonderland was here?"

"Are you kidding?" Henry squealed. "Everyone's talking about it; especially that villain in City Hall. Have you figured out who he is and what he wants?"

"No, kiddo," Emma's mind was driving her to distraction; if she was the savior of the Enchanted Forest, did that mean she would have to save Wonderland, too? Why couldn't these people save themselves?

"Why not?" Henry went on. "I bet Regina's already met them; I bet she's working with them. I wouldn't trust anything she says."

"Listen, Henry," Emma stemmed the flow of chatter. "I'll worry about myself and my job as the sheriff, and you can just worry about normal-kid stuff, okay?"

Henry gave her a pointed look as they pulled up in front of the Storybrooke Inn, behind Granny's Diner. "Just remember she tried to kill me with a poisoned apple, okay?"

Emma reached across him and shoved open the passenger side door. "All right, that's enough. Out! Go on up and get started on your homework," she told her son. "I have a few errands to run and I'll be back."

Henry paused outside the car. "Does one of those errands involve casing City Hall?"

Emma rolled up the window. "Homework!" she reminded him.

Henry trudged inside just as Ashley Herman (née Boyd) reached the doorway, ready to clean the empty rooms. Emma waved at her and waited just long enough for Henry to get into their apartment before she would leave her car.

"Waiting for someone?"

Emma turned to find Regina standing at her window. Henry's warning leaped to mind.  
"No," she answered. "I just dropped Henry off."

"I saw," Regina returned, "and then I watched you sit here for five minutes doing nothing, watching the door. What are you doing, Sheriff?"

Emma squinted at her; Regina was always hiding something when she used Emma's title instead of her name. "What are you doing?" she asked instead of answering. "Don't you have anything better to do than sit and watch me do my job?"

"That depends on whether you really are doing your job or not, _Sheriff_ Swann!" Regina snapped. "Don't think I don't know what's going on up there. And don't think I won't do what it takes to make sure things don't start getting out of hand in _my town_!"

Emma didn't have to think hard to figure out how she knew about the couple hiding out in one of Granny's rooms; it had to be Gold. The question was, how did he figure it out, and what did he have to gain by telling Regina?  
"What about your pal in City Hall?" she fired back at the dark-haired woman. "I'm sure he's probably posing more of a disturbance of the peace in this town than anyone else!"

Regina drew herself up straight. "Watch yourself, Miss Swann. You just might get in over your head."

Emma glared right back and started the ignition. "You can't threaten me," she said, and pulled away.

Standing at the edge of the road, Regina happened to spot a strange sight: a white rabbit, three feet high, dressed in a white suit, just in the act of creeping down an alleyway just ahead. Carefully, Regina followed the Rabbit as it darted to a narrow doorway beside the Rabbit Hole tavern.  
"Curiouser and curiouser," she murmured to herself.

Upstairs in Storybrooke Inn, Ashley was having the same thought, but for a different reason. She knew there had been no new check-ins lately, but one of the rooms was now locked, and she could not find the key. She had tried asking Granny about it the day before, but the older woman had brushed her off.

"Don't you worry about it, young lady," Granny told her. "Ruby and I have a... special project going on in that room. She'll clean it if it needs cleaning; you just clean the rest of the rooms like you always do."

Ashley paused at that door, waiting... for what? She sighed and moved on.

"Curiouser and curiouser," she muttered to herself.

* * *

Outside the mysterious apartment, Regina heard some crashing and banging inside as she approached the door, but then all was still. She carefully pushed the apartment door open. In spite of the dingy facade, the apartment inside was actually quite nice. It was full of boxes, as if whoever lived here didn't have time to completely move in before they left...

Or...

Regina checked the address label on one box: **_Mrs. Ginger, Cherry Tree Lane_**. She smirked; more likely these "moving boxes" had come off the back of a truck.

The persistent beating of a heart distracted her from her musings. The noise seemed to emanate from a wall nearby; her magical powers heightened her sensitivity to such things. Regina followed the noise to a panel with several dart holes and a picture fastened to it. She observed the face in the picture: the expression was haughty, and she wore a crown, but it was definitely the desperate blonde she had seen with Alice and Cyrus. But if there were only two now, where did she go?

The telltale heart beat on, and Regina wondered if someone was hiding behind the panel-though the heartbeat wouldn't be so loud if it were still in a body.

Using magic, Regina cut a neat hole around the picture. Sure enough, a glowing red heart-box winked at her from within the wall. She remembered the woman's plea: _"He's Will Scarlet; have you seen him?"_

She was looking for Will Scarlet; could this be his heart? Regina tucked the box under her coat and snuck out of the apartment, making her way not back down the street she came from, but out toward the family Mausoleum. She would need to hide this in her vault, in case she needed leverage in the future.

* * *

Sitting in a throne of his own making in City Hall, Jafar was fast coming to the conclusion that he hated Storybrooke. It was by far the worst town outside of Agrabah he'd ever been to. No one feared him, no one seemed astonished at his powers, and no one seemed interested in helping him in the least! In a tantrum, Jafar blasted a glass case of antiques with a fireball from his staff. Pitchers and pipes and hinges and buttons bounced off the floor amid shards of glass. Somewhere, a bell rang repeatedly. This only made Jafar even more frustrated. Couldn't he, with all his power, figure out what was making that noise and how to stop it?

The ringing stopped of its own accord. Minutes later, a knock sounded at the door. Jafar turned his back on it and flung it open with magic.  
"Enter!" he called.

"I see you're settling in quite nicely," said a dry voice.  
Jafar whirled around to behold that female magistrate-the irony of such a thing! Didn't the people of this world know how foolish it was to put a woman in charge?

"In case it has not become clear to you," he informed the woman, "I am not someone to be trifled with, and neither am I satisfied when my circumstances displease me!"

The woman smirked, "I called, but you didn't answer." She nodded to the black contraption in the corner. With some annoyance, Jafar finally realized that this just might have been the thing that was ringing. How was he supposed to answer it, though? He shrugged, as if answering her calls was something beneath him, instead of something he had not the faintest clue about.

She sauntered toward him, every bit as alluring as Amara had been. "I have something that might make life a bit more bearable," she murmured.

Jafar scoffed, "So you've managed to find my runaways after all?"

Regina pursed her lips; that information was going to cost him considerably more if he wanted it out of her. "Not quite; just one of them, at any rate." She pulled out the picture she had taken from the apartment. "Do you know this woman?"

Jafar barely glanced at it. "The Red Queen? What of her?"

"She was with the couple you're looking for, but she isn't anymore."

This got his attention. He leaned forward, watching Regina carefully. "Go on," he prompted.

"The three of them were looking for a fourth member of their party-probably someone this woman loved-but he never arrived in Storybrooke."

Jafar's face suddenly hardened. "My dear, this is hardly news. Her Majesty's obsession with the Knave of Hearts was never a mystery to me. Now, unless you have something of real value..." He let his voice trail off, but she didn't bite. She just kept watching him. Jafar waved her away. "Good bye, then." He used magic to push her out of the establishment and seal the doors behind her.

Alone in the great room, Jafar could not believe his luck. The miserable little queen was gone, and the bothersome Knave! They were probably chasing each other over hill and dale in some other world. What mattered is that now nothing stood between him and his quarry-and they were no doubt too much in love with being together to present any kind of a threat; all he had to do was find Alice, force the last wish out of her (and the town presented all sorts of tantalizing prospects for this!) and her precious genie would belong to him!

Trading his ornate robes for something a little more modern, Jafar made his way across the street to Granny's Diner and Storybrooke Inn. He paused to glance at the windows lining the side of the building. Surely the two lovers weren't so petty-

A woman dressed in red with long, dark hair exited the diner. He saw the way she made sure to peek carefully to both sides before proceeding out the door. Casually, Jafar stepped off the sidewalk-where he had been concealed from her view by a tall shrub-and blocked her path.

"Hello," he said. "I'm new in town and I was just looking for some friends of mine; have you met anyone new recently?"

The girl's eyes grew wide, and she pressed her lips together as if afraid some stray word would fall out quite by accident. This reaction told Jafar all he needed to know.

"Thank you," he said, sweeping past the petrified young woman and into the Inn.

An old woman stood at the desk. She bristled at his entrance. "You can't come in-"

Jafar merely swept his hand, and knocked the old woman aside. He traveled straight up the stairs to the apartments, and began blasting open doors one by one. Some were occupied, but one that should have been-since it was locked and the keys were missing-stood empty. He saw the castoff clothing from Cyrus and Alice, and knew they must have slipped out and changed their appearance. He stormed out of the building, furious. These people were shielding them from him!

"_Where are they?_" he thundered, pounding his staff upon the ground.

* * *

In the Storybrooke Library across town, Alice and Cyrus crouched in the dark corner of a back room. The door opened, and Belle entered, carrying a tea tray.

"It's all right," she told the couple. "He has no idea where you might be. You're safer than ever here."

Alice fiddled with the hem of her blouse, and still picked at the seams of her pants, which Belle had said were called _jeans_. Cyrus wore _jeans_ too, and a shirt called a _tee_. He actually looked quite dashing in it, she thought. She accepted the tea, grateful that some things didn't change after two hundred years.

"Thank you for doing this," she murmured to Belle.

The pretty auburn-haired young woman smiled. "It's no trouble at all," she answered. "I know what it's like to face losing the one you love." She glanced over her shoulder at Rumplestiltskin-or, as he was sometimes known, Mr. Gold-who was pacing the library floor trying to figure out their next move.

"Jafar must be stopped," he said, "we must know his greatest weakness!"

"His weakness is for power," Cyrus answered.

"And he wants the genie because once he has that, he will have ultimate power," Alice said. Anastasia had revealed as much in their last conversation.

"An already-powerful sorcerer with ultimate power..." Gold mused. "That's just what this world _doesn't _need!"

"But as long as he still believes Cyrus is the genie, he's not looking for Will, and so they are safe," Belle remarked.

"Except the part when he inevitably finds out that I'm not a genie, and then he might travel to the Enchanted Forest himself to look for them," Cyrus countered.

Gold smiled and held up a finger. "So, my dears, the trick will be to find Will and Anastasia first, so that we can keep them safe while we take down Jafar."

"But how are we going to do that?" asked Alice. "He's already far more powerful than anyone."

"What about breaking the curse?" Belle suggested.

Cyrus shook his head, "I'm afraid that's impossible; the curse was cast by the Guardian of the Well of Souls in Agrabah, and the only other Well I know of is in Wonderland. Even if Will could find one in the Enchanted Forest, I must be the one to repay the debt that caused the curse."

Gold suddenly fixed him with a strange stare. "A Well, you say? Could it be _any _Well?"

Cyrus frowned in confusion, "Perhaps... if the well in question had magic properties. I have no idea."

Alice, who had been watching Gold's expression through all this, suddenly brightened. "You know of such a well here in Storybrooke, don't you?"

Gold smiled. "We might have a way to break the curse ourselves, after all."

He led them out the back entrance of the library and deep into the forest. There, in a thicket of trees, stood a squat, stone well.

Gold turned to Cyrus. "What is the spirit's name who guards the Well of Wonders?"

Cyrus sighed; that was a name he would never forget. "Nyx," he replied.

Rumplestiltskin dropped a few magic potions into the Well. "Nyx, of the World Beyond, we summon thee," he intoned.

A dark cloud erupted from the mouth of the well, and the gray-skinned specter appeared.

_"Why have you disturbed my rest?" _she demanded.

Cyrus stepped forward and threw himself at her feet. "Oh great Nyx," he said, "I am the one who stole water from your well all those years ago, and I was cursed to be a genie for the rest of my days. I have since learned what it is to prize others' wishes before my own, and I crave forgiveness and relief from this curse!"

Her face did not change. _"Mere words do not right the wrong that was done," _she said. "_Let he who stole my water return it freely, and the curse shall be lifted."_

Cyrus blinked, "But-how can I return the water if I gave it to my mother so long ago? Surely she is dead and gone by now."

Nyx fixed her yellow eyes on him. _"The Water still remains; your mother lives. Even now, she is in this world. Bring the stolen water to me, and the curse shall be lifted."_ Without another word, Nyx sank into the well, and the dark cloud cleared.

Cyrus hadn't moved. Alice crouched down beside him.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

His voice choked as so many emotions crowded into his heart. "She is alive...all this time, the Lost-And-Found could never point to her, but she is alive..." He finally looked up at Alice. "That's why it never could find her, because she was here in Storybrooke the whole time!"


	7. Chapter 7

Alice jumped up and kissed Cyrus. "All things happen for a reason, don't they?" she bubbled excitedly.

A slow smile came over Cyrus' face. "I'm just now beginning to realize the truth of that." He turned to the man who had helped them. "Mr. Gold, there is only one way I know of to find my mother, but the object that can locate her is still in Wonderland."

Alice grinned at Cyrus. "The Lost-and-Found! Oh, Cyrus, how are we going to get it?"

"Pardon the interruption," Mr. Gold said abruptly, "but what exactly _is_ this Lost-and-Found?"

"It's a compass that my mother gave me long ago," Cyrus explained. "It points the bearer to anything that has been lost."

The older man jerked as if someone had slapped him. "_Anything_?" he gasped.

Cyrus nodded. "When I was a young boy, the compass would always point me back to my mother, no matter how far I'd wandered."

"But a few years ago, it stopped pointing anywhere and just started spinning," Alice added. "That must have been when she crossed worlds."

"That's as far as I can tell," said Cyrus. "Though how she could have done it, or why, I do not know."

"Do you think Nyx might have come after her once you and your brothers were genies?" Alice mused.

Cyrus shook his head. "These spirits, though their vengeance may seem extreme, are rarely so vindictive as to punish the family after the doom has fallen on the one responsible."

"I can get it for you," Gold seemed to find his voice after a bit of trouble.

"Get what?" Cyrus' head had been so focused on his mother that he didn't know what Gold was referring to.

"The Lost-and-Found," the man answered. "I can cross into Wonderland and get it for you-of course, it comes-"

"With a price, I know," Cyrus finished, "All magic does. Name your price."

"Once I bring you the Lost-and-Found, and you use it to reunite with your mother... I get to keep it for my own use. It sounds like it would go nicely in the more secure cases of my shop." He grinned with a hungry gleam in his eye. "Do we have a deal?"

Cyrus nodded, "That sounds fair enough. And once I have my mother and Alice, I'm never losing them again, so I will have no need for it."

"Good," Gold gripped Cyrus' hand and shook it enthusiastically. "I'll go tonight after I close up the shop. Perhaps you can tell me where I can find it."

"Certainly," answered Cyrus, and the three began to make plans.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Gold was in the back of his shop, laying out some new "merchandise," when he heard the bell at the front of his shop ring.  
He entered the main area. A man with Arab features stood in his shop, scanning the shelves as if he knew exactly what he was looking for.

"Can I help you?" Gold asserted himself.

The man looked up. "Yes; I am in need of some magical assistance, and I was informed by a mutual contact that you would be able to meet that need."

Gold nodded, "I deal in antiques with certain...properties, if that's what you're meaning, yes."

The man, Jafar, showed an astonished face. "Really? I confess I would never have guessed it." He sighed and ran his hand over the delicate displays. "What a strange little town this Storybrooke is!" His eyes shifted toward Gold, who nodded.

"It is certainly unique; you'll never find another town like it."

Jafar kept an even tone. "Indeed?" he tried to be nonchalant. "I was under the impression that this was the same world Alice came to Wonderland from, and yet when I paid her father a visit, he seemed to have no knowledge of or belief in magic." He watched the proprietor closely.

Gold gave a gentle spin to the illuminated globe on the counter. "The same goes for the rest of the world, I am afraid. A curse brought a lot of us here from our own world, and there was no magic when we first arrived-till I brought it, that is." He shrugged.

Jafar made a point of leaning on the same counter and studying the same globe. "Well, then I suppose I will have you to thank when I've used your wares to locate my genie."

Gold's gaze hardened and he dropped the careless farce. "Pardon-genie?" He behaved as if the word were foreign to him.

Jafar stood and began wandering the shop again. "Oh, didn't I say?" he waved it off as if it was no big deal. "Yes, I'm looking for a genie whom I followed here. Have you seen anything like an old bottle around?" He glanced at an old cracked teacup, and an oriental vase, but neither seemed to be the bottle he sought.

Gold moved around the counter to stand closer to Jafar. "I'm afraid not; if I had, rest assured you would see it on these shelves." He tapped the glass cover of the case. "Nature, for all its weakness, can be rather unforgiving in its elements."

The tension mounted; Jafar wondered what sort of properties these untouchable items had. He played along, still trying to gauge Gold's loyalty. "Ah, yes; it wouldn't do to leave such precious metal out in the open. Now about my locating device-"

A small smile flickered around Gold's mouth as he answered, "I'll save you the trouble: there aren't any genies here."

That did the trick. Jafar had been studying a model of the Jolly Roger, but he whirled around. "Come again?"

Gold's face was a mask, but inside, his Rumplestiltskin persona cackled with glee. "You're the most powerful magic person to come to Storybrooke since the Red Queen arrived with Alice and Cyrus."

There it was, out in the open; Jafar realized too late that he had walked straight into Gold's trap. "So you're the one who's been hiding them, eh?" He blasted Gold with magic energy, but the bolt seemed to pass over Gold without touching him. He used magic to lift up the Oriental vase, only to have it wrenched out of his hands by an equal force that pushed back against his influence and created a barrier around him so that he could not manipulate anything in the store.

"Careful," Gold warned him calmly, "these are valuable pieces; wouldn't want you to break anything. You're liable to end up paying for them with your life." He indicated in particular a case of innocent-enough looking weapons.

Jafar seethed at him, full knowing that he was on another wizard's turf. "_Where is my genie?_" He spat.

Gold made a big show of leaning on his cane, even though his magical influence remained as strong as ever. "I told you, he's not here; _Cyrus_ is a free man," he said pointedly.

Jafar was losing ground; what had that woman told him? Something about the Queen not remaining in this world. "And the Queen departed for yet another world, which means-" The pieces began to fall into place, but Jafar did not like the picture they made.

"Perhaps she is tracking down the genie you seek," Gold finished.

Jafar smirked. "That remains to be seen; do you carry any crystal balls?"

Gold nodded in understanding. "I'll check in the back," he responded.

"And I'd like to place a call," Jafar added, "if your telephone is in order."

* * *

Regina arrived home that evening to find a message waiting on her answering machine.

_"Madam Mayor, this is Jafar. I am aware of your family connections, and I am in need of your assistance. Hidden within a small, sparse apartment somewhere in town is a heart contained in a box. I know you will find it, because it was your mother who first removed it. Please drop by your City's Hall and bring it to me, and I shan't be a bother for very much longer. I anticipate our partnership achieving great things, and I await your delivery. Good day."_


	8. Chapter 8

Jasmine pushed aside a stray branch as she and Will made their way through the woods to the coastal towns.  
"So how long d'ya reckon we have before they start looking for us?" Will asked.

Jasmine glanced at the sun's position and shrugged. "Normally, I'd say we had another hour or so before she usually starts calling for me, but-"

Will glanced at her in alarm. "But?" he prompted.

Jasmine hung her head. "I think she saw me."

"'oo did?"

"Anastasia," Jasmine fiddled with that seam on her skirt again. "I was trying to be careful, I think she just happened to look my way-"

"Aww, that's bloody perfect," groaned Will. "So what you're saying is, we could be ahead of them by only a few minutes."

Jasmine rolled her eyes at him. "You have to admit, we made good time; look, we're already at the harbor town." She pointed to the furthest-inland buildings of the town just ahead of them.

They passed an inn, a tavern, and a bookshop before Will pointed and cried, "There!"

Just ahead of them swayed the tall masts of ships in the dock. The two friends ran forward.

"How will we know which one hired Allan?" asked Jasmine, looking at all the deckhands to see if she could recognize his face among them.

"You there! Harbormaster," Will addressed a man standing in front of a wide lectern making notes in a large book, "are you the one who keeps record of the crews on every ship that comes in here?"

"Well now," the man replied, "I wouldn't be the Harbormaster if I didn't!"

"Would you be able to tell us the name of the ship our friend joined some years ago?" Will continued.

The man rubbed his nose and began thumbing through the records. "Mm, maybe... How many years are we talking?"

"Three years, five months and twelve days," Jasmine answered immediately.

Both Will and the Harbormaster stared at her briefly, and she blushed.

The Harbormaster kept a wary eye on her as he flipped back to the page for that date. "Ah, here it is; now, what was your friend's name?"

"Allan-a-Dale," said Jasmine, "but most times he just goes by Allan."

"Hmm, Allan... Allan... Here we are! Looks like your friend was the registered cabin boy on the merchant ship _Hispañola_, but-" the man stopped at a certain bit of information.

Jasmine looked stricken. "But what?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, lass," the Harbormaster said quietly, "that ship was raided on the last voyage, and some of the crew was taken by pirates, along with the cargo. Your friend was among them."

"Pirates!" Jasmine gasped, and burst into tears.

"Aye; Long John Silver it was, if I remember. Those who came back were lucky; t'ain't often that Silver leaves survivors."

Will thanked the man and the two of them went into the tavern to collect themselves.  
"I'm sorry, Jazz," Will said quietly.

"I never gave up hope, you know," Jasmine murmured softly. "I always thought I would see him again sometime, like I could come out here when I heard that the ship was in port. Oh Will!" she grasped his hands as the tears sprang up again. "Do you think Long John Silver would have taken him only to kill him?"

"Silver, y'say?"

A creaky voice behind Jasmine entered the conversation. She turned slowly as a head of greasy grey hair and a great, hooked nose bent around the back of the chair. A stooped old man in a dirty overcoat hobbled to the side of their table.  
"Who might you be?" Will demanded as the stranger groped for a chair to settle in.

"Name's Pew," the man barked, "and if these old ears are not mistaken, you and the lady were discussin' the business of one Cap'n Long John Silver."

"Yeah?" Will glanced at Jasmine to caution her to remain silent. "What if we were, what's it to you?"

Pew grinned, proudly displaying a mouth full of gold knobs and blackened teeth. "It happens that I was aboard Silver's ship not long ago; I might be able to tell ye if yer mate w's still kickin'... Fer a price, 'at is."

Jasmine and Will shared a glance. Reluctantly, Jasmine pulled out her purse and laid two gold coins—a little less than half of all the wealth they had—on the table. The man's dirty nails scrabbled the soiled table as he picked them up. "Two coins, two questions," he said.

"Were you aboard when Silver raided the _Hispañola_?" Jasmine asked.

Pew cackled. "The _Hispañola_?" he roared. "O' course I was! 'Twas on account of my greedy looks that Silver ordered the puttin' out of me eyes!" He pulled back his hair to reveal the twin pits just below the brim of his hat.

"The person I'm looking for was the cabin boy on that ship," Jasmine said.

Pew's eyeless face tilted away from her as he cocked an ear in her direction. "Cabin boy, eh? Young'un, was he?"

Jasmine caught her breath. "Yes! Oh, his name was Allan, did you see him?"

Pew let out another cackle, "_See_ 'im? Not with these, wench!" he gestured to his eyes. "But ol' Pew has ears of a fox; I did hear a shorter step than others, and Silver did give the command to keep the boy alive."

"Where was he headed after that?" Will demanded, but Pew raised a crooked finger.

"That's more questions than you paid for, lad! But I'll give you this one for free because you'll never get there anyway. As they were preparin' to leave me behind with the rest o' th' _Hispañola_'s crew, I heard Silver tell the helmsman to set course for Treasure Island." Pew stood unsteadily to his feet. "Lots o' dangerous traps out there; that's why he needed a boy, y'see. Somebody light and small to get through the spaces and guide the pirates to the treasure!" He cackled. "So, me hearties, yer mate Allan might be alive, but there's no tellin' whether you'll get him back!"

* * *

**A few days earlier...**

A small, limber boy climbed out of a small tunnel dug into the side of a cliff. He stepped onto the narrow ledge below him and scanned the area. His keen eyes soon spotted something out-of-place on the tropical island: a vine that stretched upward instead of hanging down. The young man swung his machete and severed the vine, releasing-after a torrent of stones-a bridge that stretched over the river he had just forded to get to where he was now.  
A band of large, burly pirates crossed the bridge. One of them had two others support him, since his right leg ended in a rough wooden stump. He wore a black kerchief, a gold ring in his ear, and a red jacket stolen from an admiral he'd killed on one of his raids. His chin, covered in grimy black stubble, set firmly under his mouth, and his eyes glinted keenly. Him it was whom the legends spun tales, who the sailors' wives whispered about: the dread pirate Long John Silver.

"Oy, lad!" the rough pirate captain shouted. "D'ye see the landmark?"

"Aye, Cap'n!" the boy shouted back, "there's Bull Rock, due east on the horizon!"

"This is it, boys!" Long John set foot-and-stump on firm land and accepted his crutch from one of the pirates. He hauled his crippled body forward, spurred on by hope of untold riches. "We've made it to the trove of Treasure Island!"

He hobbled his way down the slope along the cliff, knowing that not one of his men dare reach the treasure before he did. The young man led him down through the trees and into a shaded hollow. He pointed to where a tree with large amounts of exposed roots stood over a small opening.

"The treasure should be through there, sir," he said. He gestured, but did not go in himself.

Silver eyed him grumpily. "Well, lad?" he demanded, sizing the hole and knowing the difficulty it presented for a man of his girth. "What are ye waiting for? Go in and bring me out the treasure!"

The boy looked at him. "You're letting me out of your sight?" he asked.

Silver laughed and drew his pistol, aiming it at the boy. "If I suspect any kind of foul play, 'tis a bullet will follow you in there, not I!" he waved toward the hole again.

The boy quickly scrambled through the opening. Minutes later, he emerged, struggling to heft an oaken chest.  
"Sweet angels above!" Silver gasped. "Somebody help that chest into the open!"

Two pirates came forward and easily yanked the box out of the boy's hands. The wooden crate fell with a crash, and the lid flew open.

It was empty.

"Devils and damnation!" Silver screamed, and pointed his pistol at the boy again. "What is the meaning of this?"

The boy threw his hands in front of his face. "I did not steal it, I swear on my mother! All of the chests are empty, Cap'n; someone else got here before us."

"Blast you, hellspawn!" in a rage, Silver turned and fired at a bird just winging past. It dropped into the ravine. "We come all this way to Treasure Island, by heaven, I will have my treasure!" His pistol lowered to fix on the boy. "I suppose we won't be needing you any more!" He drew back the hammer and readied the shot.

"No, wait!" the boy cried. "I know a place where you can get your hands on plenty of treasure!"

"And what are the chances it, too, will be emptied by another when we get there?" Silver didn't budge.

"None at all!" the boy replied. "A friend of mine serves in a very rich house that is positively stuffed with gold and jewels worthy of the king himself. You will want for nothing, and you will have all the gold you can carry!"

Silver finally relaxed his grip and raised the pistol. "And you can get us inside?"

The boy gulped and nodded. "Yes, just bring me back to the port where you raided the _Hispañola_ three years ago, and I will lead you to the house."

"What if your friend isn't there any more, or what if your friend doesn't care enough to let you inside?"

The boy sighed. "She will; if I guess right, she still thinks of me often, even if she might think I'm dead by now. She doesn't give up hope easy."

Long John Silver pocketed his pistol and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "What's your name, boy?" he asked.

"Allan, Cap'n Silver, sir," the boy answered.

"Well then," Silver gave him a rough shove back the way they had come. "Lead us to our treasure, Allan!"

* * *

**Present Day...**

Jasmine and Will stepped out of the tavern. The sun was beginning to set. Will hesitated, scuffing the ground with his boot.

"Well, Jazz," he said soberly, "what are we going to do?"

Jasmine pressed her lips. "We can't go back, not with Drizella and Anastasia looking for us; there's only one option, Will." She looked up at him with a determined light in her eye. "We need to find a ship that will take us to Treasure Island." The young woman took off for the docks again.

Will jogged after her. "Wait, Jazz! We don't even know where that is! Do you seriously think we can get passage to a place no one knows how to get to?"

"Shh!" Suddenly, Jasmine yanked Will down beside her as she crouched behind a stack of crates.

"What the bloody hell was that?" he spluttered, yanking his arm away.

Jasmine gestured to the slips where the boats stood moored. "It's the _Black Pearl!_" she hissed at him.

"So?" Will adjusted his jacket moodily.

"Will, that's Long John Silver's ship!"

The young man blinked, tilting his head in interest. "Hallo, that's very fortunate!" Stealthily, he peeked around the crate for a better look.

At that moment, the pirates were disembarking. There was Silver, with his crutch and his peg leg... and he was pointing a pistol at a young man!

"Jazz!" Will whispered. "Is that Allan?" He shifted so she could get a better look.

Jasmine's face broke out in a grin. "Allan!" she breathed. "Where are they taking him?"

"Looks like they're headed out of the city," Will observed, as Silver, Allan, and the whole crew of a dozen pirates disappeared down the main road.

"Will," Jasmine gripped her friend's wrist. "We have to follow them!"

Will nodded. "Let's go, then."

Together, they snuck off after the pirates.


	9. Chapter 9

Alice and Cyrus followed Granny down the darkened hallway to their old room. Jafar's invasion had taken the door off its hinges, but a kindly old man named Geppetto had restored the door to working order.  
Alice was still nervous. "Are you sure we'll be safe here?" she asked.

"Alice, it is only temporary," Cyrus reassured her. "We're only here to rest till Rumplestiltskin gets back from Wonderland. Jafar won't think that we would come back here if we've already fled this place once." He nodded toward the bed. "Lie down and get some sleep; we have a long night ahead of us, if the compass can find my mother."  
Alice reluctantly collapsed onto the bed with a sigh. Granny bade the pair good night and closed the door, locking it securely behind her. All was dark and still.

A few hours later, a knock sounded at the door.

Alice tensed. Cyrus stood and carefully crept to the door. A small window barely large enough for his eye allowed him to see the person standing outside. It was Rumplestiltskin. Cyrus immediately opened the door and let the man slip into the room.

Alice rose from the bed. "Did you get it?" she asked excitedly.

"It wasn't easy," Mr. Gold acknowledged. "Your Caterpillar is almost as good at making deals as I am." He looked down and ran a finger over the carved handle of his cane as he spoke.

"I hope you didn't have to give up anything of too great a value," Cyrus said. "This article means more to us than it does to you."

Rumplestiltskin grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "I did say _almost_," he reminded the couple, as he pulled the Lost-and-Found from his pocket. "Lucky for me, his greed clouded his judgment, and I barely had to trade much of anything to get him to give up the thing."

Alice and Cyrus were no longer paying attention to him. Their eyes were fixed on the spinning needle at the center. It was only just beginning to lose momentum.  
"Oh Cyrus!" Alice was saying, "I have never seen it completely still! At last it will point somewhere!"  
"Indeed, and I hope she is somewhere we can locate easily-to think she has passed so many centuries in this place! It is very strange."

The needle's movements were dragging somewhat. It hovered around a certain point on the dial.  
"This is it," Cyrus said, as they moved toward the window.

Mr. Gold saw the opportunity to take his leave. "Well, good luck on your search-"

"Wait," Cyrus glanced at the stopped needle. "What is over there?" he pointed in the same direction as the display.

Mr. Gold ascertained the direction he pointed and answered, "That's City Hall; good night."

Cyrus went to the window. The red needle pointed straight toward the building known as City Hall.  
Cyrus was puzzled. "How can my mother be there, and no one noticed?"

Alice moved next to him and slipped her arm through his. "Maybe they did, but she is somehow trapped in there and cannot leave."

Just then, the couple heard a soft tapping on the door. Cyrus glanced at the clock. The hour was almost midnight.  
"Who could that be?" he asked, putting his eye to the peephole again.  
It was the dark-haired woman who had greeted them when they first arrived! What was her name?  
"It's Regina!" he whispered to Alice.

"What does _she_ want?" Alice hissed back. Emma had mentioned something about one Regina who used to rule the Enchanted Forest as an Evil Queen, and now filled the office of Mayor of Storybrooke. "Can we trust her?"  
Cyrus unlocked the door. "She's alone; I see no reason not to."

Regina slipped inside as soon as Cyrus opened the door wide enough. He closed it and locked it after her.  
"I see you've decided to trust me," she noted.

Alice all but glared at her. "I would suggest you ensure that you do nothing to betray that trust, for it is withheld as easily as it is given."

Regina nodded. "Then let me give you something to confirm that trust: I received a call from Jafar—"

"You _what_?" Alice lunged for her sword, but found her body suddenly frozen in mid-motion.

"I was not finished yet, young lady," Regina chided her sternly, holding her in place with magic. "As I was saying, Jafar was the one who sought me out because he thinks that the highest authority holds the most power. I have known that you two would be here ever since our mutual friend Mr. Gold informed me of your whereabouts. And yet, I never betrayed that information to Jafar. _Now_ do you trust me?"

Alice could do nothing but move her eyes, so she glanced at Regina to let her know that she did. Regina released her, and Alice returned to sit next to Cyrus on the bed.  
"Why are you here, then?" Cyrus asked.

Regina cleared her throat and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I came to warn you: Jafar knows about your friend Will Sc—the Knave," she referred to him by his Wonderland name. "He knows about the heart—"

Alice gasped, "Oh, I knew we should have located it before Jafar realized you were free! We don't even know where to start looking, how are we going to find it?"

Regina smirked, "No need; I saw the White Rabbit sneaking through town, and I found the heart already."

"You did?" Alice cried. "Where is it?"

"Not so fast," Regina raised her hand, "It's safe; somewhere I doubt Jafar would ever know about, and even if he did, there is very little chance of him ever finding the box there." She let her assurances sink in before continuing, "The point is that he knows that the Knave is not here, and he just called me asking about the heart, so I think he intends to track the Knave through the Enchanted Forest, and when and if he and your other friend—"

"Anastasia," Alice supplied.

"Yes, her; when and if they get back from the Enchanted Forest, if Jafar has his heart, there are many spells he can work to bring them both to him, or be right there when they arrive."

"Yet you say it's safe?" Cyrus verified.

Regina nodded.

Alice leaned forward, "That's not going to be a problem if we are able to break the curse before he ever gets the chance."

Regina looked at her in confusion. "How so?"

Cyrus showed her the Lost-and-Found. "This magical object was designed to point me back to my mother-the key to breaking the curse-if I ever got lost. It's pointing to City Hall."

"City Hall?" Regina drew back, aghast. "That's where Jafar is holed up! You're saying you actually want to go in there? What if he catches you?"

Cyrus and Alice shared a look; if his mother was with Jafar, why had he not used her as leverage against Cyrus already?  
"That's where you can help us," Alice spoke up. "We need to know the layout of the place, so we can sneak in, and we need a diversion to keep Jafar out for as long as it takes."

Regina frowned. "Do you have anything you can do if Jafar has magically shut the place behind him?"

Alice glanced at Cyrus, who shook his head. Regina ran her tongue along her teeth in unease as she pulled out a key ring. "Any of these keys will fit any lock in Storybrooke, and break any magical barrier. I'll get you your diversion tomorrow, but you have to move fast."

"Don't worry," said Cyrus. "With the Lost-and-Found, we'll know exactly where we're going."

* * *

The next morning, Alice and Cyrus waited patiently behind Gold's pawn shop, hidden from view of the street, but not out of earshot. They wore dark clothing in a similar style to the clothes that Will wore on his return from Storybrooke, which allowed them to blend in with the people and their surroundings.

Alice glanced at Cyrus as she twisted and untwisted her fingers nervously. "What if it doesn't work?" she whispered to him. "What if he doesn't come? What if all of this is for nothing?"

Cyrus opened his mouth to answer, but just then, his ears caught the sound of Regina's voice.  
"Here, let's go in; I've been meaning to check in with Gold and see what he knows."

"Ms. Mills," Jafar's smooth voice so near caused both listeners to involuntarily shudder, "Need I remind you that I was promised a heart-"

"And a heart you shall have," she responded. "Just as soon as I pick up a few things here that will help us get to it."

Cyrus grabbed Alice's wrist as the young woman seemed ready to bolt.  
"_She's going to give away Will's heart_!" Alice seethed.

"Remember what Regina said?" Cyrus assured her. "This is only the diversion; she would never relinquish the promise of power over him. As long as she holds the heart, she has the upper hand. Now let's go find my mother."

Together, Cyrus and Alice sauntered across the street, wearing the hoods attached to their jackets so a chance glance by Jafar would not jog any recognition of their appearance. They reached the steps of City Hall and could go no further because of the spell Jafar had cast over the gates. Cyrus pulled out the ring of skeleton keys Regina had given them.

"Let's hope this works," he muttered, sticking one of them into the keyhole on the gate. The spell vanished, and the gate swung open.  
"We're in!" Alice breathed.

"We still don't have much time. Let's find my mother and get out before Jafar returns," Cyrus said, creeping through the gate and up the steps. He and Alice kept their hoods up and slid scarves over their faces. The Lost-and-Found still pointed ahead of them.

Once they got inside, the Lost-and-Found led them down a few corridors till they reached a large room with a large chair on a dais at the front, much like a throne.  
"This must be where Jafar sits," Alice mused, looking at the rugs and scraps of fabric scattered among the marble and wood of the original furnishings, as if Jafar was attempting to make the Hall feel more like a palace for him. She saw Cyrus pause, staring at something near the chair.

"Cyrus, what is it?" Alice asked, grabbing his hand. She followed his gaze to a glass-fronted case with three cushions inside. Two of these cushions were occupied: one by a round bottle with an azure stopper, and the other by a graceful oil lamp.  
"My brothers," Cyrus murmured. "He brought them with him."

"Cyrus," Alice pulled his attention away. "Look at me: we will save them. They will not be genies for much longer."  
"I hope you're right," Cyrus averted his gaze reluctantly. "Now, let's see; where to, next?"

The needle of the Lost-and-Found wavered toward the front of the room for a moment, and then swung around the other direction.  
Alice looked back the way they had come. "I don't understand," she said, as Cyrus headed back to the door, "did we miss a turn somehow? Why are we-"

The door flew open. Jafar had returned.

_"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"_ he thundered.

A blast of magic sent the couple tumbling.

"Who are you?" Jafar advanced on them. "Why are you here?" the eyes of the cobra staff in his hand glowed red. "You should not have trespassed," he said. "And now you will die!" He blasted them with magic from his staff-

But then a very curious thing happened: the glowing snake eyes changed from red to gold, and instead of killing the intruders, it remained rooted to the spot, sending Jafar flying to where he landed in a heap of black silk robes. Jafar's head struck the side of a marble column, and he lay very still.

Anxiously, Cyrus crept forward and checked his pulse; it still beat. The fall had not killed him, only knocked him unconscious.  
Meanwhile- "Cyrus?" Alice said with a hint of warning in her voice. "Look!"

The Lost-and-Found in her hand pointed ahead of her, but when she walked toward the door, it switched to behind her. Cyrus seized the compass and walked around the area with it, trying to ascertain why it should change direction like that. He looked up as realization dawned.

"It's the staff!" he gasped, as Jafar showed signs of beginning to stir.

"Let's get out of here!" Alice cried, and the two ran out the open door just before Jafar revived.

The sorcerer sat against the wall, willing an end to the pounding headache afflicting him. The Queen had promised to lead him to the heart, but while they were still searching, he had felt the magic protecting "his domain" suddenly sever- and whoever had dissolved the enchantment had escaped. His staff clattered to the floor from where it had stood after the magic blasted him. The golden snake-eyes dimmed, but the red eyes did not return. Jafar closed the door as he pondered the mystery: what had just happened?


	10. Chapter 10

"So let me see if I understand you correctly," Drizella said to Anastasia as the two sisters sat across from each other. "The man you love has become a genie, and you are desperate to get him back?"

Drizella and Anastasia rode in Drizella's carriage to the harbor town where they would find the ship that Drizella had arranged to take Jasmine's love, if he was still alive at this point. Drizella was confident that if they found Allan, they would find Jasmine-and if they found Jasmine, they would surely find this genie.

Anastasia pressed her lips. "Getting his love back isn't as important now as being able to tell him how sorry I am for all this mess. He told me, the last time we spoke, that he could never love me. It was like that day in the forest, when we should have met but didn't, he changed and became someone different, someone careless and dauntless and..." she paused as her voice caught. "...heartless," she finished.

Drizella evidently missed the emotion of the situation. She chuckled to herself. "Fancy!" she cried.

The carriage pulled to a stop in front of the inn, and the Tremaine sisters disembarked.  
Anastasia immediately glanced toward the docks. "All right, so how do you want to do this?" she asked Drizella. "Do we search the docks ourselves or hope some of the sailors will give us a straight answer?"  
Drizella tottered. "Oh, Annie! There's no need for skulking around or anything like that! Come with me!"

She swept over to the Harbormaster's lectern.  
The rotund man gasped first, then immediately bowed his head. "Lady Drizella! What an honor!"  
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Drizella smiled at him. "I'm here to inquire after the status of the _Hispañola_. Do you have the records?"

The Harbormaster nodded vigorously. "She just pulled into the slip nigh an hour ago," he pointed to the furthest dock on the left. "Only a few men left and no cargo, what with being raided by pirates and all!"

"Raided?" Anastasia cried. "How are we ever going to find him now?"  
The Harbormaster raised an eyebrow. "Him? Don't tell me you're looking for that cabin boy too!"

"Was there already someone inquiring after him?" Drizella asked. "A young woman perhaps?"

The Harbormaster nodded. "They were talking about going back after I told them... That is, she and the man she was with. They friends of yours?"  
Drizella smiled. "You could say that."

The Harbormaster snorted. "Well, y'won't find 'em here. They got their answers and just went off."

Drizella thanked the man. "I think we'll just wander the docks a bit, if that's all right."  
The Harbormaster nodded. "Whatever ye like, Milady."

Anastasia caught her sister's elbow as they walked toward the docks. "What was that all about? You're not _actually_ a lady, are you?"

"Of course not!" giggled Drizella. "But they don't know that; the Harbormaster owed Baron Cavendish a great deal, and ever since he's called me Lady Drizella. But I do play the part well, don't I?" Drizella unfurled her fan with demure grace and fluttered it elegantly. "It's all in one's carriage, you know. I present myself as someone important, and no one questions me. You, on the other hand, Annie, have no more grace than the commoner's daughter you were. No one would ever mistake you for a queen!" And she laughed, while Anastasia steeled herself against the angry sting.  
"Ooh, look!" Drizella cried rapturously. "A dinghy!"

Anastasia sneered at the dismal brown boat moored at the dock. "What of it?" she all but snarled at her sister.  
"Look here," Drizella pointed to a skull and crossbones branded on the side. "That's not just any boat; that's a skiff from the Black Pearl, Silver's ship! Oh how lucky! That means the ship must be somewhere close!"

Anastasia glanced uneasily at the clouded harbor. The hour only grew later; would they be forced to spend the night in town? "Are we going to just take the boat back to the boat and search it?" she asked.

Drizella waved her hand, "Oh no, nothing like that. Do I look like the sort that would snoop about a ship?" She gestured to the fine silk gown she wore. "For all we know, they could have all come here in this boat and stolen another ship from the docks. The Harbormaster doesn't exactly see _everything_, you know." She rolled her eyes.

Anastasia glanced back toward the buildings; where could they have gone? "If I were a pirate," she mused, "I might stay a bit in town, maybe. I'm sure if we searched the inns and alleys of this place, we'd find someone who can tell us where they went."

Drizella suddenly grinned and clapped her hands. "Oh! you have just given me the most wonderful idea!" She adjusted her skirts and began making her way further into the town.

"Where are you going?" Anastasia asked. "What if Silver and his men have left the ship unguarded?"

Her older sister did not slack her pace. "If the ship is unguarded somewhere in the harbor, then that means they brought Allan with them." Drizella shot her sister a withering look. "Annie, why don't you go to the inn and wait for me? I am going to speak with the magistrate and see if Silver and his crew are still in town, or perhaps they made off with another ship. Ta-ta!"

Anastasia waited till her sister was out of sight, but she did not go to the inn. Instead, she turned toward the road that led out of town, back the way she and Drizella had come. Blowing a spell onto the ground, she watched the telltale pattern of a single sturdy sea-boot and three round holes (for a certain pirate's peg leg and crutches) light up against the dark ground, and sure enough, they led out of the harbor town and back into the forest. Anastasia glanced toward the window only briefly before following the glowing prints. Her hunch had paid off, and she did not doubt she would find them first.

Meanwhile, Drizella entered a room in an alleyway, but it was not the magistrate's office. A single mirror hung upon the wall. A man's face appeared within the glass as she entered.  
"What is your command, mistress?" he asked.

Drizella smiled. "I have recently learned of one Knave of Hearts by the name of Will Scarlet. He left my sister and I want to know why. Show me."

The mirror obeyed. Drizella watched the scene with interest: a wagon, a promise-and the Queen of Hearts.

"Fancy!" Drizella murmured to herself. When the scene was done, she commanded the mirror. "I wish to speak with my stepsister."

The scene in the mirror wavered and changed. Now it showed a room, but it was not the one now occupied by Drizella. She saw a wall painted lavender, with two small pictures in white picture frames upon it.

"Leave this message for when she returns," Drizella ordered. "Dearest Sister, I know we have not spoken in a while, but there is something very important that I want you to do..."


End file.
